Now, then: let us get down to business. To earn the ITIL V3 Expert certification, candidates must earn a minimum of 22 credits from lower-level tracks. Two of three lower-level areas involve no flexibility:

You must earn 5 credits by passing the Managing Across the Lifecycle module (more on this later in this article)

The remainder of the 15 credits you require to earn your ITIL V3 Expert credential are earned by completing courses and exams from the ITIL V3 Intermediate track; see my article "On Pursuing the ITIL V3 Intermediate Certification" for more details on this program.

The Managing Across the Lifecycle Program

The Managing Across the Lifecycle module is considered by the good ITIL folks as a sort of "capstone" for the ITIL V3 Intermediate track; I would use the term "bridge," but the ITIL people use that term already to denote ITIL V2 certificate holders who are transitioning their credential to V3. Yeah, I know--beyond confusing, right?

Anyway, from the ITIL V3 literature, the prerequisites to sitting for the Managing Across the Lifecycle exam includes the following [reference]:

At least 30 hours of classroom-based instruction or the accredited equivalent via an e-learning provider

Achievement of at least 17 credits from the ITIL V3 Intermediate classes

Therefore, you are looking at having already completed:

Your ITIL V3 Foundation credential

Most of your ITIL V3 Intermediate coursework and exams

before you sit for your Managing Across the Lifecycle capstone course and exam. Quite a bit of work, eh?

Take a deep breath...there you go. Once all the courses have been completed, once all the exams have been passed, once all your credits have been counted, and once all the paperwork has been processed, you will be an ITIL V3 Expert. How does it feel?